When Reppu heard the voice, his body trembled subconsciously. The expression on his face immediately changed from a little arrogant to a serious one when facing a superior. He pretended to be mysterious as he stood up and saluted before quickly sitting back down.
The ones who appeared in front of him were Laing, Duke of Musillon, and Morgiana, the Witch of the Lake Goddess. Today, Laing was only wearing a simple Duke's attire, a dark red velvet coat, and a hat with four strips of mink fur. On his crown was a golden hoop decorated with eight red gold leaves. The noble Duke's crown made Reppu envious. He knew that in the entire old world, the most valuable titles were the titles of nobility in the Empire and Brittany. Even though he made a lot of noise in the borderland prince's territory, his title of Black Prince was actually not recognized by anyone other than the lord of the borderland prince's territory. Even the barons conferred by the Empire had to be prefixed with 'mercenary' or 'borderland', indicating that it was not a proper title.
The Witch of the Lake Goddess, Morgiana, was wearing a fluorescent light pink cake-cake dress today. From the opening of the dress, one could faintly see a pair of beautiful legs wrapped in flesh-colored ultra-thin stockings. Her shimmering golden hair was fixed by a garland, and her body was adorned with all kinds of gold and gemstone jewelry. On her beautiful face, a pair of green eyes carried a certain kind of bright light. She was strolling and inspecting the territory with Laing. The light in Morgiana's eyes immediately disappeared when she saw Reppu. She looked as if she was looking at a disgusting thing and didn't say a word. When she saw Laing sit down, she also sat down.
Reppu didn't dare to look straight into Morgianna's eyes that were filled with judgment. As everyone knew, as the spokesperson of the Goddess of the Lake in the mortal world, Morgianna had the right to judge independently. Under normal circumstances, Reppu was still an 'official', so even if something happened to him in the city, the patrols or city guards would at least give him a chance to explain himself, and let him go to the court of the Duchy or the court of the Impartial Goddess Cult to explain himself.
Morgiana was different. Once she opened her mouth, Reppu might not even have a chance to explain himself. The Knights of the Holy Grail who were responsible for protecting Morgiana directly attacked without reason. Although Reppu had the strength of a legendary pinnacle, and the Knights of the Holy Grail probably could not take him down quickly, if Reppu dared to fight back or resist, he would be punished even more.
"Mr. Litebald, you're in the mood to eat stewed beef with potatoes here?" Clayon, on the other hand, was rather carefree. He and Morgianna sat opposite the black-hearted Reppu and called out to the boss. "Give me a bowl too … Morgianna, do you want one?"
"I don't need it." The Lake Goddess witch was not interested in street food. In fact, she rarely ate meat in her daily life. At most, she ate some fish and eggs, and rarely ate meat.
"The duke has his own things to do, and I have mine." Reppo turned his attention to Leon and shrugged. "The duke is a busy man, and I, Reppo, have no choice but to be a little busy man. It's a good opportunity to take a look around and see what the duke has accomplished over the past decade, and see if there's anything I can learn."
Ryan's expression didn't change much, but in his heart, he was thinking that the black-hearted Leipu was truly a genius. He had seamlessly blended flattery and boot-licking into his words, and was also tactfully reminding Ryan that he had been ignoring him for several days.
Sure enough, after he said that, Morgiana's expression became better.
"I've just returned to the territory, and I have a lot of things to do. I don't have time to deal with you, and Mr. Litebald is also very free. I'm so busy that I forgot. You should have come to me first." Laing kicked the ball back to Reppu.
What Laing meant was that he was very busy, and Reppu should have come to him first. If he didn't come to him, Reppu wouldn't have come to him first. How dare Reppu say that he was ignoring him?
Reppu chuckled and pretended to lower his head to eat the meat. He chewed a few times and swallowed the meat. At the same time, he thought about the ins and outs of the situation. The sly mercenary knew that Laing was willing to take him in because he had a favor to ask of him, and he had no doubt that he also had a favor to ask of Laing. At this time, whoever spoke first would be at a disadvantage.
"I'm here, duke!" The freelance shop owner was so excited that he looked like he was dancing a ballet. He spun a few times and immediately served a big bowl of beef. "Duke, please help yourself. This meal is on me!"
The big bowl that the owner served was full of beef, while Reppu's bowl was mostly filled with potatoes and carrots. The mercenary secretly cursed the owner for being a snob. He thought again and said, "Duke, I think today is a good day. The weather is good, and I'm in a good mood."
"Oh, is that so?" Laing smiled and stirred the big piece of beef in the bowl with a spoon. "Since it's such a good day, what good suggestion does Mr. Litebald have?"
"My duke, if you want me to build a new castle in the prince's territory at the border and develop a territory, just a title is not enough." Seeing that Laing was still calm, Reppu decided to take the initiative. "I want people and things."
"Muxilon is being rebuilt. I can't give you too much military funding now." Laing nodded slightly and began to discuss the matter with Reppu. "As for people, the population of Muxilon is not enough now … How many people do you want?"
"At the very least, a company of regular soldiers. I'm talking about regular soldiers, fully armed and experienced in battle" Reppu spoke in a low voice: "Also, at least 30 guns and 20 horses. Other than that, you have to give me some manpower as well, as well as enough supplies to last me for half a year"
"You're too greedy, Mr. Litebald." Laing shook his head and said to Reppu. "You're asking for too much. At least before you can prove yourself, I won't give you so much without a reason."
"Then how much can you give me?" Reppu asked impulsively when he saw that Laing had rejected his suggestion. However, he immediately sensed Morgiana's warning and cold gaze and could only keep his mouth shut.
Reppu had a feeling that there was something between Laing, the champion of the Lady of the Lake and Morgiana, the champion of the Lady of the Lake. It was his intuition after decades of being a mercenary and becoming a human. Even though Laing and Morgiana did not do anything intimate, Reppu still noticed some clues from the body language between Morgiana and Laing. For example, the two were standing very close to each other before they sat down, Morgiana's body would naturally lean towards Laing after she sat down, and the way Morgiana looked at Laing … Reppu vaguely noticed something.
"What I can give you is a company of veterans." Laing gave his condition. "It's a group of veterans who have experienced many battles. They're almost at the age of retirement but are unwilling to retire. I have the weapons here, but you'll have to find the armor yourself. As for the guns and horses you want, I can only give you twenty short-barreled handguns. I can't give you the horses."
It was a pleasant surprise to have a company of veterans. Reppu then proposed a new condition. "A company of veterans isn't enough. I need more people. It doesn't have to be soldiers. It's fine as long as they're young men and women who are willing to follow me to the borderlands and make a fortune!"
"I can't help you with that, but I can give you a hint." Laing knew that Reppu was desperate for people. "Go to the two duchies of Lyonasser and Pallavon. There are many who are willing to try their luck, and the price is low. You only need a piece of black bread with bacon, and they'll follow you."
"Then, where's the bacon? Where's the black bread? "
"There'll be bread, there'll be milk, and everything will be fine."
The conversation between Laing and Reppu came to an end. Duke Musillon and the Dark Prince ate in silence. Reppu thought carefully for a long time, and finally decided to speak. "Other than that, what else can you give me?"
"I can give you a part of the trade rights. Our goods will be unloaded at Balak Haimen Pass. You can get the support of the Oliver Merchant Guild's Haimen Pass branch there. You can directly buy some goods at market price. As for how you deal with these goods and how you sell them, I don't care. The only thing you need to do is not leave any evidence behind.
Understood! " Reppu was relieved after hearing Laing's words. Wasn't this asking him to open up a new market?! Getting this was much more useful than the company of veterans and the twenty guns!
"Then, I have a few requests. Listen carefully." Seeing that Reppu agreed, Laing nodded slightly. He took out a map and pointed at the eastern border. "I'll give you about a year and a half to two years. You must become the most powerful warlord in the eastern border!"
"I'm confident in this, but I don't have enough men!" Reppu the Heartless could only feel that his heart was beginning to be shaken by the great future that Ryan had pointed out. His blood began to rush to his head, and he was so excited that he spoke incoherently, bringing up the old topic again. "I need more people!"
"No, Mr. Litebald, you've got the cause and effect wrong. When you expand in the eastern border and protect the interests of the Brittany, the kingdom will use many methods to measure your value. Only then will your status rise. We will then consider sending more elite troops to help you, assist you in your expedition, and help you take over the eastern border." There seemed to be some kind of magic in Leon's voice. Every word he said was full of expectation and warning. "When you win more victories, we will allow more soldiers and even knights to go to the prince's territory at the border to assist you. There will be more elites for you to recruit. If necessary, we can even send the old guards and the Holy Grail Knights to assist you."
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Reppu's hands were trembling. His voice was also trembling. "Thank you for your favor, Duke. I, Litebald, will definitely …"
"But I have to warn you, Mr. Litebald. You have to show your value. You only have these people at the beginning, a company of veterans and some soldiers with broken equipment. You have to show us that you can do it. You have the ability to become the most powerful border prince. Only then will we consider letting you hire more troops to help you."
Reppu was really excited.
Obviously, Laing was using him as a chess piece. Through him, he would obtain the market, population, and large amounts of resources of the border prince's territory!
But what did that matter? Being a chess piece meant that he had value to be used! This was a chance for him to turn things around. He had to seize it firmly!
The most powerful border prince, what a fascinating title.
"I, Litebald, hereby swear allegiance to Duke Laing in the name of Charlemagne and Shalia!" Reppu did not hesitate at all. He was cunning and knew that the more decisive he was, the better. "I'm willing to accept this mission!"
"Very good. I've already asked Katzenberg to prepare some logistical supplies for you. It should be enough for you to use for a few months." Laing accepted Reppu's allegiance. He pulled out Nemesis and pressed it on Reppu's shoulder. "I officially confer you the title of Commander of the Brittany Independent Regiment and Baron of the Border Territory!"
"Yes!" Reppu replied loudly.
"Let me ask you something, Litebald. What are you?" Laing continued to ask. His blue eyes flashed with a sharp gaze. "Answer me. What are you?"
What am I? Sweat beaded on Reppu's bald head.
What am I?
Why did Mr. Laing take a fancy to me? What's the reason?
He carefully recalled his series of experiences. His mind raced as he said loudly, "I am a human!"
"Very good. I hope you always remember that you are a human!"
After the conferment, Reppu was not in the mood to eat anymore. He hurriedly left. The time Laing gave him was very tight. He had to hurry up and receive the veteran company. At the same time, he had to use the title of Commander of the Brittany Independent Regiment to recruit new soldiers. He had to take a ship to the Sea Gate before the sea froze over. Otherwise, he would have to wait until next spring before he could leave, or take a huge risk to cross the Gray Mountains and the Black Mountains.
Seeing Reppu hurriedly leave, Morgiana frowned. She said, "I don't understand. Why would you give such a cunning mercenary leader a chance? If you are planning to expand the border prince's territory, then you have a lot of men you can send. Or I have a lot of men on my side too. Why would you give this mission to him?"
Laing let out a long breath. He sat on the chair and said, "Morgiana, it's not the same. The border prince's territory has its own set of rules of the game. Outsiders are not familiar with these rules and can't play. It will take at least a few years to understand and pay a huge price. For example, if I send Hex to the border prince's territory to expand, he will most likely be slit in the neck on the first night he enters the border prince's territory."
"Can't the Holy Grail Knights?" Morgiana understood what Laing meant.
"The Holy Grail Knights won't be killed so easily, but they are bound to be unable to become leaders in the border prince's territory because they are influenced by the spirit of chivalry." Laing nodded. "If you want to survive in the border prince's territory, there are a few key points. Your hands must be steady, your heart must be ruthless, and your blade must be accurate. The way of chivalry doesn't work there."
"That's why we need Blackheart Reppu. He's been in the border prince's territory for decades, from an ordinary mercenary captain to the Dark Prince later on. He's already very familiar with the rules of the border prince's territory. Furthermore, when Khagan Tamu wreaked havoc in the border prince's territory, only Blackheart Reppu put up an effective resistance. That's why he has a certain reputation and prestige. If we send him now, although the human residents of the border prince's territory won't welcome him, they won't resist either."
"We just need to provide him with support in secret." Laing finally concluded. "Of course, there is another important reason besides cultivating a spokesperson."
Laing pointed at a place on the map. "We have to start preparing to fulfill our original agreement."
"Prepare to help Bellegar and his Angran clan reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain!"
"Sending out Reppu is the first step in this war!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
